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ShellCore Command: Episode 1: Newborn
Play ShellCore Command: Episode 1 on Kongregate *Play ShellCore Command: Episode 1 on Newground 'ShellCore Command: Episode 1: Newborn' Most often simply called ShellCore Command: Episode 1, or EP 1, this game is the first installment of the Shellcore games, and apparently the first of Flashbacker's games (or maybe not...). The game follows the path of a newborn 'Shellcore', who is born into a war against the Infection (and some weird voice with blue text). Apparently empty space is blue or black. Last I checked, the uninfected were green and infected were red. There were no blue units. The plot is relatively bland, but it does cast a little foreshadowing, especially at the end. It's fairly obvious that there's more, as suggested in that the EP 2 betacontains EP 1 as well. ' ' But some serious talk about the background is overdue. Shellcores are the 'race' that populates the world of Shellcore Command. No one really knows what they are, because Flashbacker refuses to tell us anything. :( Somehow they can add Shell parts onto their Core freely. The green normal Shellcores are fighting a war against the red 'infected' Shellcores, and they aren't doing so well. You're a newborn, and you are going to places, young man! Or woman. 'Gameplay' Time to add some more detail to the general discription. The basic idea is a combination of RTS, RPG and shooter. You have your ship in which you fly around. Shooting is automatic, though. You can activate abilities. The RPG element is in gaining more and better parts. The RTS element is the missions. Shellcore EP1's gameplay has good spots and bad spots. It tries to combine an adventure and RTS with mixed results. On the one hand, the customization system is generally acknowledged as 'pretty cool', if imperfect (though it was improved quite a bit in Skirmish and the EP 2 beta). On the other hand, it was easy to put together an insanely powerful ShellCore and just dominate everything, a tactic that has come to be known as 'borg cubing' for reasons obviously related to Startrek (I say we should call those ships BUSes, Big Ugly Shellcores, by the way). The RTS element was pretty lacking, in part because of the above, and in part because your only mobile units, drones, are not very powerful. 'Graphics' As with all the other ShellCore games, EP1 has a distinctly retro feel to it. Most everything is composed of angular lines and glowy things. Ships can be made to look very cool. The way enemy ships explode is one of my favorite animations. However, the graphics are not particularly high quality. In short, it's pretty good, but not stellar. But it's free. What do you expect? 'Music and Sound' EP 1 has only two music tracks; the battle/intro music and the one used for everywhere else.These are both good songs, but after a while, they get annoying. The sounds are rather basic, and there's not much to say about them. WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD (unless you finished episode 1 already, which you probably did) 'Episode 1: Newborn Plot' You start off as a newborn, spawned in a spawning grounds. You already know this. Anyways, you travel to Haven 1 with the help of some guy. The Infected are trying to kill you, but these are only the weak drones and you kill them easily. At Haven 1 the carrier there helps you grow in size and strength with missions, until you are strong enough to go to Haven 2. After battling through masses of enemies, you get to Haven 2 (unless you're too weak, then try again). Once there, you help out by capturing Battlezone Alpha, which is easy as there is no enemy Commander. You help defend some extractors in Sector 175-25, capture Battlezone Gamma, and proceed to Haven 3. It's a long trip, but a decently eqiupped shellcore will make it. You capture Battlezone Delta and kill a Battlecore (this is easy, usually), then capture Battlezone Epsilon. After that you attempt to travel to the Capital Platforms. You get stopped by an Infected Commander, who says he will need you later, then releases you. You travel back to Haven 3. After that, you capture the Battlezones in reversed order and travel back to Haven 2, and capture more Battlezones. Then the game is finished! Side Plot I believe there are two missions not necessary to advance the main plot. Both involve helping allies clear sectors of enemy Shellcores. One also involve finding an ally's freind who went missing. Bugs * *Ship Data- Press "shift" while reconstructing to obtain data on your ship! (may not actually be a bug, but a feature) *Infinite Allies- Get tons of allies to follow you from Haven 1! Make them follow you, and another 2 will appear when you reenter the sector. *Free Escort- Don't talk to the Escort Fighter, and he will follow you after Haven 1. *Respawning Deadzone Core- In the second-to-last mission, after killing the deadzone core fly back to the sector he's in and he'll respawn! *Newborn Ally- The newborn sometimes follows you. * *Return of the Blue Voice- When you first spawn, don't go to Haven 1 but instead to a deadzone. Reenter the Spawning Grounds to get the Blue Voice to speak again! * *Unable to Save- Occasionally, your game won't save. It is not known why, most likely not related to the game at all. Also, saved games may be mysteriously deleted if you don't play for a while. Trivia *Unlike any other games, there is no part limit. Category:ShellCore Command Games